Jennifer Ramsay
About Me…
Who am I? I am a mother, a storyteller, a Gestalt psychotherapist specialized in ecotherapy, psychodrama and creative arts therapies. I am a workshop facilitator, a celebrant, a creative nature activist, a steward of a little piece of land in the north of Spain and a person who believes a better world is still possible and truly wants to make a difference.
Professional Path
I was born and bred in Scotland and after graduating with a degree in Biological Sciences at Napier University in Edinburgh, I set off to travel around the world with a backpack. I was privileged to see the Great Barrier reef full of colour and the Amazon rainforest when she was still considered to be the lungs of planet Earth. I also worked as a Wwoofer and on other sustainable land projects.
In 2004 I became a professional storyteller and since then I have been telling stories about the richness of our shared cultural heritage and about the natural world. I discovered that stories can be a valuable resource to accompany people in need of therapeutic support, so I trained as a Gestalt psychotherapist and specialized in creative arts therapies and psychodrama to be able to accompany people on their path of self-discovery using creativity and stories as a tool.
Many of my clients experienced the feeling of disconnection to the rhythms of nature and to the bigger web of life, so I trained as an eco-therapist to offer nature-based therapy to those who need it.
As the environmental polycrisis became more critical, my pain for what we are doing to mother Earth and my need for social and environmental justice led me to become a facilitator of Active Hope and the Work that Reconnects, both aimed at strengthening one’s ability to make a difference in the world.
In my Story Climate Cafés, stories open the doors for the participants to share their feelings about what we are doing to planet Earth. We connect to the needs of the other-than-human beings we share the earth with and hopefully become inspired to do our bit to care for this beautiful planet we call home and leave it in the best possible condition for the future generations to come.
I also facilitate nature-based handfasting rituals and other Celtic ceremonies based on the Celtic Wheel of the Year.
Sustainable Life
I am committed to leading a sustainable life and to walk as gently as possible on Mother Earth. I follow the Path of the Druids (OBOD) and try to "walk by talk" and be the ancestor that future generations would be proud of.
I’m also the steward of a little piece of land in Asturias in the north of Spain, and I aim to provide a small sanctuary for native beings there and to put into practise what I have learnt in my Permaculture Design Course. Medicinal herbs are being planted, rainwater will be harvested, and a compost toilet will soon take pride of place.
I am a creative nature activist and a member of the Culture Declares Climate And Ecological Emergency organization. I host regular Earth Exchange rituals to try and bring healing to wounded places. As part of the Climate Psychology Alliance, I offer, when possible, three free sessions of therapeutic support to climate activists who are experiencing eco-related distress arising from eco-activism. I also facilitate regular Story Climate Cafés.
One of my missions is to keep the ancient tradition of storytelling alive and as such I am an Earth Storyteller, and have collaborated with The Earth Stories collection, Volume 2, Earth Stories in Action.
